Onus
by Query
Summary: Rule 1: XY must remember that XX is always right. Rule 2: In the result that XX is wrong, XY will refer to Rule 1.
1. Manipulation

General Disclaimer: The character Dee Lemma/Xiaohu/Query is the sole creation of me. Unauthorized use of my characters is not allowed. All other characters (Batman, The Riddler, and all other DC created Gothamites) are property of DC Comics.  
  
  
  
"Boss, you gotta eat somethin'," Trigger said, setting a tray containing a sandwich and a cup of coffee on it on the desk. With an annoyed grumble, he pulled the empty scotch bottle from the man's hand. Walking around the desk, Trigger took hold of the mouse, pulling up the media player on his boss's computer. The boss had the damn thing on repeat again, still playing that damn country music! Trigger shut the computer down and pulled the tray closer to his boss.  
  
Edward lifted his head from the blotter. It had been just over two weeks now since Dee had left him. Since then, he hadn't showered, or shaved, a scraggly and dirty beard covering his chin. He hadn't even changed out of the boxers and t-shirt he had been wearing when she left. Whether or not he had eaten, he couldn't remember. He did know that he had been plenty drunk most of the time, as the scattered scotch bottles indicated.  
  
"I'm not hungry," he lied, pushing the tray away and putting his head back down. He was hungry, but he didn't want to eat. What was the point?  
  
"Mr. Nigma, you need to eat. You need to shower. You need to shave. You stink. Benny won't even come in here anymore."  
  
"Shut up! What business is it of yours if I do anything?" he demanded, spittle flying from his mouth.  
  
Trigger almost blurted out that the boss had gone crazy. From past experience, he knew better than to say such a thing. He also knew that his boss was currently in hell. However, not eating, drinking up all the scotch in the hideout, and stewing in his own stench was exactly the thing a lunatic would do.  
  
"Mr. Nigma, either you eat this sandwich, or I'll shove it down your throat. Then you will take a shower and get yourself cleaned up!" insisted Trigger.  
  
He lifted his head again, a cold, frosty curtain slid across his face. "You would dare to speak to me like that?" he growled.  
  
"I would when you're being unreasonable. Do you think that she would be happy to know that you're sitting here, moping around? She would tell you the same thing," the larger man said, staring back at his boss.  
  
"If she were here," he said through clenched teeth, "none of this would be happening, you lummox!"  
  
The boss was turning back to insults. Benny and him had heard every one in the book twice over ever since she left. He shook his head in disgust, feeling pity for the disheveled man behind the desk.  
  
"Fine, Mr. Nigma. If that's how you want to be." He left the tray and headed for the door. "Don't think that she wouldn't be disappointed to know how you're acting. You're making yourself sick, and that's no fault of ours. We tried to help you."  
  
"Get out!" he shouted, standing and jabbing a shaking finger at the door. "Out! Out! _OUT!_"  
  
Slumping back in his chair, Edward returned to staring at the picture of him and Dee taken at the Third Degree Swing nightclub. Dee sat in his lap, smiling as she looked at him. A few nights later, they had consummated their relationship. That was all over now.  
  
Dee had told him that he, being a male, didn't know what it felt like to be "used, cheated, and played with." But he did know, all too well. It was exactly what those women had done to him. What Pam, who was supposed to be his friend, had done to him.  
  
He indulged the whims that Dee had, her toying with him as she had when they returned from England, because he knew that letting her have her way on little matters made her happy. If she was happy, he was happy. Simple as that. She didn't tell him what to do, or whom he could talk to or not. Her greatest care was how he treated her.  
  
Before all of this, he had wondered exactly why she hadn't asked him about his past relationships. He would have told her about them, told her how many girls there had been. She never asked. When she left, she had told him why. The knowledge hurt, and she never wanted to know just how many there had been before her.  
  
As he slid to huddle under his desk with a new bottle of scotch and the picture cradled in his arm, he remembered her telling him that she couldn't compete with the others. Didn't she realize that there was no competition? That she had blown the rest out of the water, because she treated him like a person, not a thing? She might act possessive of him, but he acted the same toward her. No, there was no competition, and never had been. Yet she never gave him the chance to explain that before leaving. In a way, he couldn't blame her for leaving him. He wanted to leave himself as well.  
  
  
  
"Is he eating yet?"  
  
"No. He's still throwing attitude around, like it's our fault she left," Trigger said, pulling a beer out of the refrigerator.  
  
"Did you tell him that we found some of her stuff over at Palindrome?"  
  
Trigger shook his head. "Didn't get the chance. He's determined to be miserable." He put the beer down. "Any word on where she might be now?"  
  
"Yeah. What's his name, that friend of yours down in Little Italy?"  
  
"Gio."  
  
"Yeah, him. I called him up like you said, and he said there was a sighting of her in Chinatown."  
  
His eyebrows went up. "Think she's back with those people? The ones the boss took her to?"  
  
The day after she had first appeared, the boss had disappeared with her, not telling them where he was going. In his drunken ramblings, he had told them that she had friends in Chinatown, and that she would be happier and better off with them than she would ever be staying with him.  
  
Benny shrugged. "It's a good bet. He said the place has been getting some unusual requests. They eat a lot of weird stuff anyway, y'know. But now they're getting some sort of exotic animal supplements."  
  
"Tangram. She probably is there. We should check."  
  
"You really think we should be getting involved in this?"  
  
"Benny, it's her or more of them. You want someone who got the boss to realize that we can do more than simple muscle work, or you want someone who bullies him out of our share of the money? I know who I prefer. I know we both didn't like her very well..."  
  
"You more than me. Remember that," Benny said, pointing a finger at his partner.  
  
"Yeah, me more than you. After all the others, why should she have been any different? But she is, and she's a helluva lot better than all those others. She made him happy."  
  
"And she didn't just care about puzzles, like that other one. I mean, she seems to like them, but she's more interested in the boss."  
  
"Exactly my point. They got along because of more than just puzzles. Ever notice how it was always one thing or another? Most of them wanted money, and then there was the odd puzzle lover. Remember the other day when he got drunk and passed out right here on the floor?"  
  
Benny nodded.  
  
"I heard him talkin' to himself how she didn't care about the money. Just like she told you in England." Taking a deep draught of his beer, he set the bottle down with a thunk. "I know we're getting our share without losing any to her. She takes only what he gives her."  
  
The other man sniffed. "So what're we gonna do? I mean, we can't really go in there and tell her the boss misses her."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Trigger, she probably doesn't even want to see us. Ever think of that?"  
  
"You have a point. I think we're going to have to do something sneaky to make the boss get himself in gear. And I think I know exactly how to get him moving."  
  
  
  
"Chinatown, you say?" Trigger said loudly as he walked down the hallway on the cordless phone. He made certain to pause outside of the study. "You certain it was her? Yeah. Five four. Red hair. Blue eyes. About a hundred and thirty? Yup, that's her."  
  
In the study, Edward's ears pricked up. Chinatown? She was back with the Jade Tiger Triad. He thought of the threats both Manchu and Jiaoshu had leveled against him, and shuddered, cupping his crotch. No doubt if he set foot in Chinatown, they would make good on those threats. He was rather surprised that they hadn't come to the warehouse looking for him.  
  
At the same time, he grumbled to himself, "She's one twenty and has green eyes, idiot!" He sniffed indignantly as he quaffed more scotch. "And she's more like five three and three-quarters. Not really five four. She's also got a little birthmark..." He trailed off, knowing they wouldn't know anything about her birthmark, and never would if he had any say in the matter. Edward Nigma would be damn certain he had a say in that matter!  
  
Trigger wandered back off down the hall, talking about an exotic animal vet that had been seen in the Chinatown area.  
  
For a moment Edward sat there, continuing to stare at the picture. He wanted to tell her what had really happened, but he feared that if he showed up, the Triad would do horrible things to him. Perhaps they were just waiting for him to show up in Chinatown before they made their move.  
  
"You have a choice to make here, Edward. The lady, or the Tigers?" he mumbled, taking a swig from the bottle he held.   
  



	2. Scolding

  
  
{No! Don't do this!} screamed Dee as Manchu tossed her over his shoulder.  
  
{Xiaohu, it's for your own good,} he said as he hauled her out of her room, and downstairs. Though she kicked and fought him, he held her tight. {I'm coming with her! Be ready!}  
  
{Manchu, I swear to Buddha I will kill you if you do this!}  
  
The man laughed. {You? You would never hurt me, and you know it.} He slapped her bottom hard enough to make her gasp. {Now behave and things won't be so bad.}  
  
She growled and bit down on his back. With a yell, he threw her down onto the ground as if she were a burning sack. She lay there stunned, her breath knocked from her.  
  
{Damnit, Xiaohu! Now look what you've made me do! Li Mei! Have you got a muzzle for her?}  
  
{What happened?} the woman asked from further down the hall.  
  
{She bit me!}  
  
Chuckling good-naturedly, Li Mei came into view. {The little tiger bit you?}  
  
{Right on my back!}  
  
Li Mei lifted his shirt and looked at the ring of teeth marks. Dee hadn't broken the skin, and it looked to just be bruised. {Your shirt saved you. Now pick her back up and bring her along. Chu Hua and the others are waiting.}  
  
Glaring at his friend, he cautiously lifted her again. This time he carried her under one arm, like a sack of potatoes. Still trying to catch her breath, she was easier to carry. He made it to the women's bathing pool without any problems. At the edge stood his girlfriend, Chu Hua, along with several of the women from the house. When Dee caught sight of them, she began to squirm again.  
  
{Not this time,} Manchu said. He lifted her up, almost over his head, and threw her into the pool of warm water. {That should teach you to bite me!}  
  
{Yes, yes. Now go. You shouldn't even be in here,} Li Mei said.  
  
{If you want, I'll take a closer look at it later,} Chu Hua said, with a little smile.  
  
Manchu perked up at that. {Really?}  
  
{Go! No more flirting! Go! Out!} demanded Li Mei, watching Dee splutter at the surface, thrashing about in the silk pajamas that were now weighing her down.  
  
He hurried off, knowing that he would be better off far away from that pool, not only because he had just angered his best friend, but because it wouldn't do to anger Li Mei as well. Rubbing the spot where Dee had bitten him, he went off to check on the classes that were being held at the moment.  
  
{You are being overly stubborn, Xiaohu. You have been here for two weeks, and have only changed and bathed once in that time. Yet if you are not sitting, staring at that picture, you're working out. That does not make a good combination.} Li Mei stood at the edge of the pool with the others, blocking Dee's escape path. {Either you wash up right now, or we will wash you. It is your choice, little one, but we will not be gentle as we remove those layers of dirt.}  
  
Submerged up to her eyes, Dee scowled through the wispy steam rising from the surface of the water. Her hair was plastered to her head, strands of it in her eyes. She wanted to run. Why couldn't they just leave her alone to sulk in the way she wanted to? If she wanted to sit and look at a picture of him while being stinky, that was her business, not theirs!  
  
{Well?}  
  
Dee looked around at each of the faces. Every one of them wore the same expression: Get out of there before you're clean, and we'll make you wish you could repel dirt. She stood, letting the water sheet off her exposed body.  
  
{Fine. I'll bathe.} She tugged the soaking wet silk off her, petulantly throwing the material at the women.  
  
{That's better. And don't forget that this one needs a bath as well,} Li Mei added, reaching down and picking up Tangram. He grumbled, trying to squirm away. However, he was thrilled when the woman tossed him into the pool of water next to his mistress. {He's been smelling a bit lately as well. You need to take care of him, Xiaohu. We are not pet sitters here.}  
  
The woman turned her back and started walking away. Naked and dripping wet, Dee put her hands on her hips and started silently mocking Li Mei.  
  
{Do not think I don't see that, Xiaohu. Just for your impertinence, you may wash dishes tonight. Alone.}  
  
Glowering, Dee folded her arms across her breasts. It wasn't fair! It simply wasn't fair! They were treating her like a child, and she was a grown woman!  
  
Chu Hua asked the other women to leave, assuring them that she would be fine alone. Once they were gone, she knelt at the edge of the pool. {You do need to keep clean, Xiaohu. What if he comes to the door looking for you? He would not like to see you like this.}  
  
{What does he care? He won't come here. He doesn't have the guts to come here. And he wouldn't care how I looked. You haven't seen those other women!}  
  
{Yes I have. I do read more than the Hong Kong newspaper.} She hitched her pant legs up and dipped her feet into the warm water. {So what if he was with other women? You knew that before you let him bed you. Now that you know who the women were, that makes a difference?}  
  
She scrubbed at her arm a little more than necessary, turning the skin bright red. {It does. He was with two of them when I went home the day we got back. Two! I wasn't enough for him.}  
  
{Did you ever consider that perhaps they were coming on to him, and that he wanted nothing to do with them? That perhaps he left you at the restaurant so that he could get rid of them before you saw them? That he was doing what he did because he was worried what you might think?}  
  
Her scowl returned. She had thought of that, but didn't give it much attention; her desire to be right was too strong. When she had walked in, Eddie hadn't been putting up much of a fight from her point of view. {Chu Hua, I'm just tired of doing this with him. It's always a fight. Always. He was worried that I was going to have an affair with this man in Spain.}  
  
{And you were worried about the woman in France. So what? You worked that out, and both realized that you were just being paranoid.}  
  
{Perhaps. But, for the last time, you did not see what I saw. He practically had his pants down! And he was... Exposed! If I hadn't walked in at that moment, given a few more minutes, I'm sure they all would have been naked and...} She stopped, gagging at the thought.  
  
{You're impossible, you know that?} Chu said, a note of disgust in her voice. {You said it yourself that he took care of you the second night you got drunk and those women attacked you.} She paused and shook her head. {If anyone needs to apologize, it's you, Dee Lemma.}  
  
{Why should I? I'm not the one who did anything wrong!} she demanded, flipping her hair back. She winced as the wet mass smacked her back with such force it felt like the blow of a whip.  
  
{Because from what I'm hearing, he did nothing wrong either. You didn't hear out his side of the story. You just assumed what you saw was what was happening. I barely know him, and I know that what you described sounds nothing like anything he would do! Especially not now that he has you! Or had. If he took you back after the way you've been acting, he has got to be the craziest man alive.}  
  
Dee was silent as she scrubbed her stomach. She wanted to scream. There was too much to consider. Too much to think about. She wanted to sleep. As soon as she was done here, she would go up to her room and sleep until it was time to wash dishes. The last thing she wanted right now was food.  
  
{Chu Hua?} Li Mei said, coming back into the bathing area, a clean silk robe folded across her arm.  
  
{Yes, Li Mei?}  
  
{I would like you to come with me, please. Leave Xiaohu to herself to finish bathing.} She gave Dee a severe glare, setting the robe next to a towel before turning back the way she had come.  
  
{Yes, Ma'am.} Chu Hua stood to leave. {Xiaohu, think about what I said, and think about being the big one and making an apology. After all, this fight is because you were too stubborn to listen.}  
  
She said nothing, staring at Tangram who paddled around, enjoying the water. Dee dared not look up and reveal that she was crying. But Tangram knew. As she sunk down onto one of the submerged seats, he propelled himself to her, nosing her hands away from her face. She allowed him to squirm his way onto her lap. As she pet his wet fur, he licked away her tears.   
  



	3. Perceived Threat

  
  
"Chu Hua, I'm sure you remember Mr. Nigma," Li Mei said, bringing Chu Hua into the kitchen.  
  
"Yes, I remember. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Nigma," she said, extending a hand to shake.  
  
He took her hand halfheartedly, and said, "Please. Call me Edward, or Eddie."  
  
"Eddie. What can we do for you today?" Chu asked, taking a seat opposite him.  
  
He remembered the first time he had sat at this table. It was the day after Dee had helped him escape from the museum. She had appeared at the door with her friend, Manchu, before being whisked off to have an injury taken care of. The woman, who now placed a plate of potstickers on the table, and a fresh pot of tea, had smacked him on the back of the head, calling him an idiot for ignoring her injury. He had not known she had one, or he would have seen that it was taken care of.  
  
"I came to talk to Xiaohu, if I may?"  
  
"Show Chu Hua what you brought," demanded Li Mei, nudging him.  
  
"Oh." He took a large bouquet of flowers off the chair next to him, showing them to Chu Hua.  
  
"They're very nice. Her favorite, you know," commented Chu.  
  
"Yes, I know." Edward's voice held no emotion. It was just flat and toneless.  
  
"She told us what happened."  
  
He winced.  
  
"Oh, please believe me, Eddie, that I do not hold you responsible. Did you really mean for what happened to happen?" Chu asked.  
  
Eddie's eyes went wide. "No!" he insisted, emotion coming back into his voice. "I didn't want her to even know those two had been around! And then Pam went and told her about the night she seduced me with her pheromones."  
  
"Pheromones?" Li Mei asked, taking a seat next to Chu Hua.  
  
"Yes. Pamela Isley has a unique body chemistry that allows her to secrete toxins. She's also learned how to emit pheromones. Very powerful ones that can entrance a person into doing her will. A sort of hypnosis, if you will. She can choose to allow that person to remember or not to remember whatever event she has put them through."  
  
"I see," both women said, giving each other slight nods.  
  
"But what about all the other women? Xiaohu mentioned that she had been told you had been with far more women than you have mentioned."  
  
"She was misinformed. I have been with a grand total of..." He paused, suddenly wondering why he was telling these women this, when it was Dee he wanted to talk to. "If I may just talk with Dee, please?" he asked, forgoing her Triad name.  
  
"Let us hear your story first, Edward. If she refuses to listen to you, she will at least listen to us. Whether she wants to or not," Li Mei said curtly.  
  
The tantrum Xiaohu had been throwing since she arrived was wearing on her nerves. She had been fine before this man, better with him. Now she was a complete wreck without him. It was obvious to everyone that Xiaohu had found her ground in him. What Li Mei wanted more than anything was to wrap Xiaohu up very tightly in a sheet, and hand her back over to the gaunt man sitting across the table. Li Mei could see that Edward was at a loss without her. However, she knew better than to interfere in that manner, knowing that her actions could very well get this man hurt.  
  
He could see the sense in this, but he would leave out details. Only Dee would ever know the specifics of what had happened to him. "Very well. I have been with a grand total of seven women."  
  
"Including Xiaohu?" Chu asked.  
  
"Including her. The first was a high school conquest." He gave a sheepish grin and shrug, before adding, "I was young, and..." He cleared his throat, sitting up straighter. "Three of them were women who worked for me. Then there was my last girlfriend. The fifth was Pam."  
  
"Did you want to sleep with all of them?"  
  
"That's difficult to say. At the time, I had wanted to sleep with the women who worked for me. Or so I thought. With each one, I thought it would be different, that I would find I really loved them. It was just lust. I tried to convince myself that I was at least getting some sort of pleasure from it. But I got nothing, and always found myself feeling worse afterward." He gave a shrug. "I suppose I continued, thinking it would get better.  
  
"They learned that they could use sex to get things from me. So they would force it on me when they wanted something. It was sex or violent threats. Though both usually went hand in hand with some." He blushed, feeling completely exposed by his own words. This was why Edward never answered Dr. Matthiessen's questions about his sex life. It was too embarrassing. "The girlfriend... Well, it was just that point in the relationship. Pam... I never wanted to sleep with her. No man who actually knows her, and knows what she can do wants to. Except Harvey Dent. You probably know him as Two Face."  
  
"The scarred man. Yes. He often comes to the curios here looking for Yin/Yang items. Strange man." Li Mei pushed the plate of potstickers at him. "Eat. You look hungry."  
  
Tossing table manners aside, he took a few of the potstickers in his hand, shoving them into his mouth. He barely chewed and swallowed the first before he was pushing more into his mouth. Li Mei and Chu Hua looked at him in surprise. Noticing the eyes on him, he quickly finished what was in his mouth, wiping his sauce-covered hand on the provided napkin. He practically scalded himself as he washed the food down with the cup of tea in front of him.  
  
"I'm sorry..." He cleared his throat and folded his hands in front of him. "As I was saying, I never wanted to sleep with her. She made me. If I could have resisted, I would have."  
  
"Edward, when was the last time you ate?" Li Mei said, having now had time to look him over. He had nicked himself in several places while shaving, and his skin looked tender, as if it had been scrubbed many times.  
  
"I... I'm not certain," he stammered. "I haven't been hungry lately."  
  
Another glance passed between the two women. Just at that moment, Manchu came clattering in. When he saw Eddie sitting at the table, a wide grin spread across his face. Startled, Eddie jumped out of his chair, knocking it backward and tipping it onto the floor. The potstickers suddenly felt like a one-ton weight in his belly.  
  
"I... This was a mistake. I have to go. Thank... Thank you for your time," Eddie said, rushed. Turning, he headed out the door that led into the courtyard, the same way he had come in the first time with Dee. He took two long strides out the door, and ran smack into someone else.  
  
{Excuse me,} said the woman who was wrapped, head to foot, in silk robes.  
  
"I'm very sorry," he said, holding the woman to steady her. Instead of letting her go, he held onto her tighter. "Dee?"  
  
She looked up at him, tipping back the hood. Her hair was wet, and he could smell the usual scents of cherry, lime, and peach wafting from her warm skin. It made him want to shout with joy and hug her. But she looked at him coldly, as if he were a stranger violating her personal space.  
  
"Dee, I need to talk to you," he said urgently. He tried to say "Ooo-ee-sha-sha-coo-coo-yeah," but the phrase wouldn't come out.  
  
There was no response from her. Knocking his hands from her arms, she pushed past and into the kitchen. Edward was about to follow, when he remembered that Manchu was in there. He was so certain that the man had come to remove his "eggroll and dumplings" that he decided against following her. Chu Hua and Li Mei went to the door, watching him retreat through the alley exit. They turned as one to Manchu and Dee.  
  
{What was that all about?} Li Mei demanded.  
  
{What was what about?} Dee asked flippantly.  
  
{Not you. Manchu! Why did he run like that when he saw you?}  
  
Manchu shrugged innocently. {I do not know! I don't understand white men. My sister could have become involved with a normal Chinese man. But she had to have this crazy white man!}  
  
{Eddie isn't crazy!} shouted Dee, overly defensive. Her shout was ignored.  
  
{Manchu, you are lying to me,} Li Mei said, picking up a wooden spoon and shaking it violently at him. {Tell me what you are hiding, or I will beat it out of you!}  
  
{Careful!} he said, jumping back as the much smaller woman took a swing at him.  
  
{Li Mei, take it easy,} Chu Hua said, relieving the woman of the spoon. She walked over to Manchu. {He's been through enough the last couple of hours, getting her up, and then down to the bath. Don't forget, he was injured in helping you today.}  
  
As she spoke, she gave Li Mei a wink, putting her arm around her boyfriend.  
  
{Yes, he has been through a lot,} she agreed, grudgingly.  
  
{Excuse me? But what was he doing here?} Dee asked.  
  
{It is like he said. He wanted to talk to you,} Li Mei sniffed. She was of the same mind as Chu Hua. It was Dee who was in the wrong, and needed to be the one to apologize. {He also brought you flowers.}  
  
Dee looked at the bouquet Li Mei held up, and gave a stubborn nod. {Well, he obviously didn't want to talk too badly. Especially since he took off the way he did. And at the sight of Ping.} Dee cast a glance over her friend and snorted derisively. {Though that is completely understandable.}  
  
{Hey!} he shouted.  
  
{If you'll excuse me, I am going to my room for a nap. Tangram's warming himself in what little sun there is right now. He'll come in when he's ready.} Giving a bow to the three, she swept out of the room.  
  
That was completely unexpected. Dee didn't think he had the guts to show up here in Chinatown. Yet here he was. That's why Li Mei had come to collect Chu Hua. At the moment, she was too tired to think about it. She didn't bother to dry her hair any further. Instead, she put on a clean pair of pajamas and crawled into her bed, nestling down in the blankets.   
  



	4. The Wisest One of All

  
  
Li Mei was furious with Jiaoshu and Manchu. It had taken time, but Chu Hua and her had managed to get out what Manchu had been hiding. Giving that poor man such threats! No wonder he had taken so long in showing up, and then ran at the first glimpse of Manchu! Men! They were all thickheaded idiots!  
  
As punishment, since she couldn't very well make them do chores, she refused to give either one dessert, and sent Jiaoshu to sleep in another room for the night. That she had not insisted that the two apologize to Edward let Jiaoshu know that she didn't want the idea of the threats recalled. She could see the benefit of having such a warning hanging over one's head.  
  
The problem was the time when the threat had been given. It hadn't been when they first met the man. It had been after Xiaohu had let the man bed her. All of them knew how seriously she took such an act, and that she would not have done it if there had been any doubt that he did not love her.  
  
But Li Mei sighed, and made Chu Hua swear not to repeat what Jiaoshu and Manchu had told Eddie, especially to Dee. Chu Hua had readily agreed, knowing that Dee would be very angry that they had interfered in such a way. Still, unlike her, Li Mei and Chu Hua had listened to Edward's words, instead of treating him so shamefully.  
  
{Dee Lemma, you open this door right now!} Li Mei demanded almost a full week later.  
  
{I just want to be left alone!} came the reply.  
  
{Dee, I know you are depressed about this. But you are worrying all of us, and you are acting like a spoiled brat. You will open this door and let me in to talk to you, or I will have Manchu break it down. It is your choice.}  
  
It was always her choice, wasn't it? Which meant exactly the opposite. It was Li Mei's way, or else. Since seeing Eddie, Dee had become more withdrawn. She would only eat if food was set in front of her. Whether she tasted it or not, they didn't know. She would spend hours and hours in the practice room, going through movements until her body could not move anymore. At those times, Manchu would carry her up to her room, where Li Mei would scold her, while forcing her to drink some nasty concoction to get rid of the burn of her muscles.  
  
The door slid open, and Dee stood there, once again looking disheveled. Li Mei covered her nose as she walked in and to the window. Throwing it open, she turned on Dee. Sitting on the dresser was a glass vase with the rotting remains of the tiger lilies inside. The water they sat in was a murky brown.  
  
{This is disgraceful, Xiaohu! I raised you better than this! Look at this room! Look at you!}  
  
{Li Mei, I want to be left alone to deal with this in my own way, ok? You, and everyone else always forcing me to come out is not helping! If anything, it's making me feel even worse!}  
  
She shook her head. {You are acting like a child! Though when you were a child, you were at least easier to handle and make listen to sense! Xiaohu, he came here to see you, even though he was scared to do so. You know that he was scared. You saw that.}  
  
{He had every right to be! He knows I would've hurt him if he did anything to me!}  
  
Frowning, Li Mei smacked the back of Dee's head.  
  
{Why did you do that?!} she spat, clutching the stinging back of her head.  
  
{Because you needed the advice,} the woman replied simply. Leaning against the dressing table, Li Mei folded her arms across her chest, giving Dee a look that made Li Mei seem taller. {Now listen to me, Xiaohu. You know what you just said was a lie. You would never hurt that man because you love him. You love him so much it has made you sick not being with him! And you know very well that he would not harm you, and that you cannot harm him.}  
  
It was true. That was the reason she had simply left. She couldn't hurt him, and that frustrated her. Dee wandered over to her bed, sitting down amongst the nest of sheets and clothing that covered it.  
  
{But he hurt me,} she said softly.  
  
{Love hurts, and you must learn to make sacrifices to keep it. You love him, and you have to accept him all. Good and bad.}  
  
Dee nodded, rolling onto her side and pulling a blanket around herself. In doing so, she exposed Tangram, who was sleeping soundly through the entire thing. She had run him ragged the day before in the practice room. Seeing him, she pulled him up to her like a child would take hold of a ragdoll.  
  
{Let me sleep. Please?} she pleaded.  
  
{Very well, Xiaohu. Sleep. Sleep the rest of your life away if you want.}  
  
She heard the door slide close, and voices start up in the hallway, talking too softly for her to make the words out. They kept doing that, holding their little meetings outside of her room. Everything about her was being discussed, and she hated it. It was the times like this that she regretted coming back. But she hadn't anywhere else to go, and she had hoped that her best friend would at least comfort her. He hadn't. He had used every opportunity to tell her that she was the one being stubborn and a fool.  
  
"So I'm a fool. At least I haven't slept with every man I've worked with," she grumbled into the tiger's fur.  
  
Tangram wiggled out of her arms. Standing on the bed in front of her, he sniffed her hair, and sneezed, batting his nose with his paw. Dee watched as he trotted to the window, hopping out of it.  
  
"Tan!" she called, getting up and running to the window.  
  
Sticking her head out, she was in time to see him leap through Manchu's window a couple of rooms down. The next moment, she heard the jingle of his collar as he trotted down the hallway. Standing in the middle of her room, she frowned and looked at herself in the mirror. Everyone was right. She looked terrible. Her hair was knotted, her clothing dirty, and she had bags under her eyes from crying so much.  
  
"Fine. You win. You all win. I'll get cleaned up," she sighed. If she smelled bad enough to her tiger, she didn't want to know exactly how bad she smelled to the humans. From her closet, she pulled out a clean robe, changing into that as she gathered her dirty laundry and stripped her bed.  
  
No one said a word as they watched her wander back and forth from her room to the laundry room to the bathing pool. Only when she went to the kitchen to ask Chu Hua to help her brush the knots out of her hair, did anyone speak.  
  
{This is more like you, my daughter,} Li Mei smiled. She brought over a plate of steamed buns and another cup for tea, setting it in front of Dee. {You are looking much better already.}  
  
{Once we evict these rats from your hair, and get rid of their nests, you'll look even better,} Chu Hua added.  
  
Nodding silently, Dee picked up a bun and began to eat while Chu Hua tugged away at knots. It took a while, but eventually her hair was brushed straight, and Li Mei insisted on putting it into a queue. At least then it would stay knot free for a while. Or so the women hoped. When they had finished they all headed up to Dee's room and helped her finish cleaning it. Only when Dee was tossing the clean pillows onto the bed did Tangram come back.  
  
"There you are, you miscreant," she said, kneeling down to greet him.  
  
Like a child, he came to her and squeezed himself into her lap to lie down. She hugged him, kissing his head.  
  
{You have the forgiveness of your pet, I see. Now perhaps you can take care of him instead of making us do so,} Li Mei said.   
  



	5. Send in the Clowns

  
  
The next day Dee was out in one of the practice rooms scrubbing the floors instead of working out. She had just finished when Li Mei came to get her, telling her to take a break before starting the next room. Knowing it would be better to go with her than to argue, Dee followed Li Mei into the kitchen. There, at the table, sat Benny and Trigger, the two clumsily fumbling with chopsticks as they tried to help themselves to the food in front of them. Li Mei pointedly left the room before Dee could protest to her.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" she asked, pulling forks out of a drawer and handing one to each.  
  
They stood, each giving her a quick, clumsy bow of greeting.  
  
"You're not Chinese, so please don't try that again," she said sourly, more irritated at their appearance than anything.  
  
"Sorry, Query," said Benny.  
  
"It's Xiaohu. I'm no longer Query."  
  
"Yes you are." Trigger sat himself down, looking fairly uncomfortable. "We know you and the boss is fightin'. But you gotta come back. You've got it all wrong about what was going on that day."  
  
"I do, do I? And what concern is it if Edward and I had a fight?" asked Dee, leaning on the back of a chair.  
  
"Usually, we don't care if he's fighting with a girl. Makes no difference to us. But we've never seen him like this. He went through a lot of trouble to get the place lookin' nice again just so you'd come back. New carpets, furniture, and all. I'll bet you didn't even notice it when you were there last," retorted Trigger, his voice properly admonishing.  
  
All she had noticed was that there were new towels and things in the bathroom. He was correct that she hadn't noticed anything else. She had been too angry and hurt to see anything but the door.  
  
"So what? I'm sure he'll find someone else in no time," she said with a careless shrug.  
  
Trigger stood now, towering over her. "You don't get it, do you? He doesn't want anyone else anymore! He never wanted to see those two come back. I called him to have him come over to get rid of them because me and Benny both knew that you'd be mad if you saw them there. We couldn't do anything about the mess they made, but we were gonna leave that up to the boss to decide. Instead, you went and left him. Do you know how long it took us to get those two off of him? They handcuffed him, planning to do like they always did to him."  
  
Dee looked up at him, confused. "Do what they always did? What was it that they always did?" she asked, curious, but uncertain if she really wanted to know.  
  
"You wanna know?"  
  
She took a deep breath and nodded.  
  
"Sit down and we'll tell you," Trigger said, pulling a chair out for her.  
  
"First tell me why you're being so nice to me, and asking me to come back?"  
  
"Because you got him to treat us as more than fetch and carry dogs. We respect that." Trigger piled more food on his plate, shoveling some into his mouth before continuing. "Now you gonna listen, or you gonna ask more questions?"  
  
"I'm listening," she said, refilling the teacups.  
  
Trigger nodded for Benny to talk while he ate. "We know he slept with three of the girls that worked for him. And we know that he thought that they liked him for something more. At first, anyway. Mr. Nigma isn't dumb, and he knows when he's being duped. Only he has a weakness for a pretty face. These girls had him wrapped around their little fingers. The worst were Nina and Diedre, the two who you saw. They were once Echo and Query."  
  
"He gave me the same name as one of _them_?" she asked, feeling bile rise in her throat.  
  
"He uses the same names a lot. Query has always been a name he's liked, so he uses that one the most. Trust us that he doesn't make any link between you and the others. You're the only one he's ever shortened it to 'Q' for." Benny drained the tea, and Dee automatically refilled it out of habit. "But those two had been working as a team for a long time. He found them together. They tried to rob him one night after he had just robbed a convenience store. He wasn't as big then as he is now. He offered them jobs, promising big money. And he came through on that.  
  
"The longer he was with them, the more they realized that they could mess with him, and he'd fall for anything. So long as they looked pretty and talked nice while doing it, he'd give them anything. After a while, they decided to see what would happen if they slept with him. Then it was the same as the other girl. Things started disappearing. Money, those little things... What are they called, Trigger?"  
  
"Cufflinks and tietacks. Mr. Nigma had a real nice collection of them in the safe. Some of them had jewels in them. Most of them were solid gold or silver, shaped like question marks to go with his suits."  
  
"Those things, yeah. They also started takin' all the money from our wallets, and we found out that they were making him give them a lot more than their share. We had to work more and more jobs just to try to make a profit. Then one day when we were out, the girls..." He paused, looking at Trigger, silently asking if he had to be the one to tell her.  
  
"We came back to find the boss 'used' and roughed up. Everything worth anything was gone. The safe was empty, and all our stashes of money were gone. Me and Benny made the mistake of having some fun with the girls once or twice. They knew where we kept everything. After that, we made the boss swear that he wouldn't bring home another girl to join the gang. For a long time, he didn't. Avoided women, in fact. There was that stuffy woman, but she didn't last long. Then Isley got her hooks on him. We don't know what happened, just that he came home the next morning, muttering to himself about how he was worried he'd be getting the 'Green Flu.' See, anyone who's with her, and then displeases her, she makes them miserable. That's why we call it the Green Flu. He was lucky though, and managed to avoid her until he knew he was in the clear.  
  
"We thought he was definitely done after that. Then you came home with him one night. Things changed after that. We didn't trust you for a long time. Truthfully, it wasn't until halfway through the trip we started to respect you." Trigger shrugged. "You have to understand that after everything we saw, we didn't think you'd be any different. We know now that you are, and we'd rather have you come back than give him the chance to be swindled by another girl."  
  
Dee sat there stunned. Was she hearing them right? "So you're saying that you approve of me being there." She felt like these two were children, telling the woman who would be their stepmother that they were ready to accept her being with their father.  
  
"That's what it boils down to. If anything, just come back and talk to him, please? If you two wanna go your separate ways after that, fine. The man hardly leaves his study anymore. We know he showed up here. Benny and me had people looking for you. We heard rumors that you were around here, so we made certain he heard us talkin' about it. It got him moving. He took the first shower he had taken since the day you left. Do you know that he sat around in the same clothes for two weeks?"  
  
"No. I didn't. That isn't like him at all," she said, disapprovingly. She realized she was being hypocritical. After all, Li Mei had had to force her to bathe and eat.  
  
"Of course it isn't like him! He's one of the cleanest guys I know! All he did was drink all the scotch in the place and listen to country music. Do you have any idea how annoying that stuff is?! We had to listen to it for two weeks!" He shot her a glare, clearly laying the blame for that on her. "But he heard us mention you were here, so he got himself cleaned up, and came down."  
  
"He did. I didn't talk to him. He took off."  
  
"So we noticed. He came back to the warehouse more paranoid than when he left! Had a big bag with him filled with more scotch. Locked himself in the study and proceeded to get roarin' drunk again! I'll have you know that the man is still sitting in that suit he came to see you in."  
  
She set her jaw, glaring back at him. "It isn't my fault!"  
  
"Yes! Yes it is your fault! Were you too busy that you couldn't give the guy a half hour to talk to you? Maybe if you had sat down with him, you could've gotten him to eat. He hasn't done that either the whole three weeks. Or didn't you notice that he's lost weight? Whenever he's been down about a girl, he usually will go to the Iceberg and drink. A few hours, or a few days, and he's over her. But not this time."  
  
That she had noticed. The suit he wore hung loosely on him, and his cheeks looked sunken. But she hadn't realized that he had had nothing at all to eat since she left.  
  
"Quit actin' like the guy means nothing to you. We were there when those guys threatened to hurt him. Who do you think it was that buried those three?" snapped Benny. Dee and Trigger looked at him, surprised by the outburst from the generally quite man.  
  
The two stood, leaving Dee sitting in the seat, feeling small once again.  
  
"We need to get back and make certain he isn't drunk and wandering around again. You're both pigheaded, and one of you has to give. Think about what we said," Trigger said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tell the lady thanks for the food."  
  
Barely nodding, she continued to stare at the tabletop feeling herself shrink further in her seat. She watched the smears of sauce on the plates congealed as they cooled as the minutes passed, feeling like hours.  
  
{Well, those men certainly spoke some sense. And I think that you're ready to hear sense, finally,} Li Mei said, coming over and rubbing Dee's shoulders.  
  
{How long have you been there?}  
  
{Long enough. Before you ask, yes, I was listening the whole time. Someone needed to since we aren't certain you even know how to listen to reason anymore.}  
  
{I listened to you and Tangram yesterday.}  
  
{You did. I realize it's a big step for you, growing up. But we all need to at some point.} She took up the dishes and the empty teapot. {Those boys certainly know how to eat. It's a shame they didn't take some home to Edward. He likes these little potstickers.}  
  
{You heard them. He wouldn't have eaten it. He hasn't had anything to eat.}  
  
{Yes. Just like you the first week. Also just like you, he isn't taking care of himself. What did Li Rong tell you when you were little?}  
  
Dee tilted her head up to look at the Chinese woman. {That a woman holds a great power over a man. That when I found someone, I would take care of him because I wanted to, not because I had to.}  
  
{Yes. Did she also tell you that he would care for you just as much? He might not always show it, but he will. Men never do well showing their feelings, and are sometimes worse at expressing them. They learn of ways to say the things with gestures that simply won't come out of their mouth. What has he done for you?}  
  
{They said he cleaned the place up, bought new stuff... Oh, Li! What good is that when we're just going to keep fighting when these pieces of his past keep popping up at all the wrong times?!} she sobbed.  
  
{My dear, I think it is time that I told you what Edward said when he was here last week.}  
  
Bringing a fresh pot of tea to the table, Li Mei sat and slowly told her all that Eddie had said. Li Mei knew it would hurt her to hear it. She attempted to comfort the girl with tea and candied melon rind, a particular favorite of Dee's since childhood. Though she wept quietly, Dee listened to everything.   
  



	6. Poisonous Parley

  
  
Author's note: I'm dedicating this chapter to Allaine, who I know as one of the world's biggest Poison Ivy fans. ;]  
  
  
  
Pamela Isley wandered through Robinson Park, clad in jeans and a flannel shirt, taking in the freshly planted shrubs and vines. It had taken her all day, but she had enjoyed the time spent laboring in the sun to plant these new children. They were all her children. Every last blade of grass thrived here because of her protection. In turn, the plants protected her when the Dark Knight stalked her in the park.  
  
Brushing the dirt from her hands, Ivy took one final look at her work in the dimming light. With a smile, she headed back to her hideout in the series of old, rundown greenhouses in the park. The greenhouse had been a point of interest in the park years ago, housing flower shows, and exhibits on flora from around the world. Ivy took them over after the funding and interest for such events dried up. Now they were her home, lab, and storage area.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she frowned, looking at the stray cat clawing at the frame of her front door. "Shoo! Go away! And don't you let me catch you using my babies to sharpen your claws!"  
  
The cat looked at her with large, unblinking green eyes. Sitting up straight, it curled its tail around its toes. In a huff, Ivy opened the door of the greenhouse, the cat shooting past her.  
  
"Stupid... Damn furball! Get out of here, you filthy beast!"  
  
She began looking around where the cat disappeared, checking behind the crates and the mishmash of garden items stacked around. The cat couldn't have gotten too far. Still, it was nowhere to be seen. Out of frustration, Ivy kicked the bottom of a large stack of boxes, cursing the feline's intrusion of her space. All she wanted right now was to take a hot bath and soak away the stiffness of her muscles. Either Ivy kicked the boxes a little harder than she meant, or the cat was hiding on the top. Whichever it was, an avalanche of books and papers came tumbling down on her, knocking her unconscious.  
  
  
  
She first became aware of the horribly itchy, rough rope that bound her wrists in her lap, and wound around her ankles and neck, securing her to a chair. Giving the bonds an experimental tug, she realized that whoever had tied her knew exactly what they were doing. The tugs she gave didn't loosen the knots at all, but simply pulled them tighter.  
  
Ivy took in her surroundings. It was a rather nondescript storage area. Wooden crates sat around on the concrete floor, some covered with tarp. She could just make out the weak glow of windows, showing her the washed out night sky. The entire place was very dimly lit, more shadows than light. Faintly, she could smell the ocean, so she knew she must be near the docks. A few feet in front of her sat a pot of daisies. From her seat she could smell the rich loam of the soil the flowers were nestled in.  
  
A noise caught her ear, just to her left. Staying calm, she cocked her head in that direction. Dead silence met her. The same noise came from her right, closer this time. It sounded like scratching, and a faint nasally breathing. She'd heard that noise before. It was the noise of a large feline. Catwoman had to be behind this!  
  
"Alright, Selina! What have I done now to piss you off?" Ivy said aloud.  
  
"Selina? No, I am not Selina," a voice purred. It came from right behind her now. There was an odd pitch to it, feminine, definitely, but...  
  
"If you're not Catwoman, who the hell are you?"  
  
"You lied to me, Pam. Lied and hurt someone I care for very much." The voice moved from behind her, to her right. "Worst of all, that lie made me hurt him because I made the mistake of listening to your false words."  
  
"Query?" Ivy asked, tentatively.  
  
Ivy nearly knocked her chair over when a full-grown tiger landed in front of her, snarling. Its fangs were at least four inches long, and looked deadly sharp as they glistened in the faint light. The tiger padded in front of Ivy, its large green eyes locking with Ivy's, communicating instant death for her if the tiger pleased. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the tiger vanished back into the shadows to her left.  
  
"Congratulations, Pam. You win the Kewpie doll," Query said, stepping out of the shadows directly in front of Ivy.  
  
A sigh of relief escaped the woman's lips, and she let out a small laugh. "For a minute there, I thought you were that overbearing bitch, Catwoman. Funny, Query. Now untie me."  
  
Query made no move to do as the woman asked. Instead, she took a step backward, the shadows swallowing her immediately. "Give me a good reason to untie you," she said, her voice taking on that strange quality again.  
  
"Oh, c'mon, Q! You're not still mad about what I said in the Iceberg, are you? Get real! It was just sex!"  
  
This time, it was a full-grown leopard that landed in front of Ivy, and this time, it swatted at her with long claws. A swatch of Ivy's flannel, button-up shirt came off in its claws. Her skin remained unblemished, but she visibly paled. As the tiger had done, the leopard disappeared into the shadows.  
  
"You drugged him with your pheromones, and then raped him. That is not 'just sex,' Pamela. That is sexual assault. You're no better than the men who drug and rape women." Her voice was eerily calm.  
  
A vicious smile crossed Ivy's face. "What's the real problem, Dee? Mad that I had him first? I already told you he wasn't good. Probably the worst lay I've ever had. The man couldn't find the clitoris with a map and directions!"  
  
Silence settled in the room. A feline tail flicked across Pam's shoulders, causing her to jump, and she felt hot breath as the feline snarled in her ear. She looked around to see where the cat was, but as fast as it had touched her, it was gone. In rage, she struggled against the rope that held her. The knots grew tighter, cutting off her circulation.  
  
From the darkness, Query answered. "Did you ever think that maybe you're not so good at satisfying yourself? You were the one controlling him." There was a pause, and she continued. "No. I knew I wasn't his first. I could even accept that he had slept with you, had it been his own will. But the fact is you forced him."  
  
"He never asked me to stop! He wanted more! He begged me for more, Query! 'More, my green goddess! More!' It was pathetic!" spat Ivy.  
  
Landing in front of her in a crouch, Query snapped the end of her bo staff under Pam's chin as she stood. "Because you drugged him! You took advantage of him, and raped him! Admit it Pam! Admit that you are nothing more than a sexual predator when it comes to men! You don't really want them, you just want to abuse them and toss them aside like so much refuse!" she shouted.  
  
One redhead looked at the other. Though her outward appearance was cool, Query's rapid breathing gave away her anger. She lowered the staff, and stepped up to Ivy, placing her hand under the woman's chin, forcing her head up.  
  
"You crave power. You crave what you can't have without your tricks. Seeing Eddie with me pisses you off, doesn't it? I know I don't have the looks that you do. I know I'm far plainer in the face. What you can't stand is that Eddie actually wants to be around me, without having to drug him. I don't have to control him to get attention. I don't have to control anyone to get any attention. But you do. It eats at you every day, I can tell."  
  
Ivy fumed at the words. But Query's exposed skin touched hers, and she was going to learn a lesson about playing with poison. As Query spoke, Ivy began to generate toxins that would allow her to control the other woman. A sharp smell of hot peppers and ginger began to fill the area. Query merely smiled as she looked down at the other woman.  
  
"Such a shame that won't work on me," Query said, keeping her hand on Ivy's chin.  
  
Ivy gasped as her chair was knocked over, her head hitting the concrete floor hard enough to daze her. She blinked, spots swimming in front of her eyes. Damnit! Why hadn't her toxins worked?!  
  
"Because you gave me that shot, remember?"  
  
Ivy's eyes went wide, not realizing she'd spoken out loud.  
  
Query shook her head as her hand tightened on Poison Ivy's throat. "It's a shame you don't remember things like that. You really ought to keep track of whom you immunize. But I do thank you for the shot. Which is why I'm not going to kill you."  
  
Taking a hold of the torn shirtfront, Query lifted Pam back up. Settling herself on the floor in front of Ivy, Query took the potted daisies into her lap, stroking the plant. When she spoke, her voice was calm.  
  
"Each of these flowers might look the same, but they're all different. I'm sure you knew that. Each one has a tiny difference here and there. A deviation that separates it from the other. I'm sure that you could easily tell the difference between one of your flowers by these differences. But tell me, Pam, could you tell me any specific detail about any of your victims that would give them an individual face?"  
  
"They're all the same," she growled in response. "All the same. All horny, idiot males!"  
  
"Horny, only because you wanted them to be," reminded Query, lifting a finger. "Do you even look at those you take to bed with you? Do you notice the person you're with? Do you take the time to look at the body of the man you just had?"  
  
"Why should I? They mean nothing to me! Just toys," sneered Ivy.  
  
"Because it's what separates a lover from a rapist. If you were interested in being the lover of any of those men, you would have noticed little things about them. If you can even tell me one detail of Eddie's body that no one, other than an intimate lover would know, I'll spare you any further questions and let you go. I'll forget everything that happened between us, and start new."  
  
Poison Ivy watched Query who sat with her head down, gently petting the daisies. And people thought she was crazy! What did it really matter anyway? Edward Nigma had begged her that night. Begged her repeatedly for sex. Sure, it was her will. She had wanted to be worshiped, and even if she had to force that veneration, she had gotten it. Along with the reverence, she had gotten her revenge on the imbecile for his comments to her that night.  
  
"He has no distinguishing markings," she finally said.  
  
Query's hand went into the daisies, ripping a large chunk out of them. From where she sat, Ivy could feel the sudden pain of the plant wash over her. It felt as if she had been punched in the stomach.  
  
"Don't lie to me, Pam. You just didn't notice, because you treated him like an object. Like a weed in your prize roses. If you had looked, you would notice many things about him. If you had taken the time to look; been a lover, instead of violating an unwilling person." As she spoke, she continued to slowly pluck leaves, flower heads, and stems from the potted plant. Each new tear at the plant made Ivy spasm in sympathy as the sap sang for help. "He's a good man. Something you should know something about. Despite what you did to him, he remained your friend; treated you with respect. Respect you never deserved from someone like him."  
  
Looking up, Query cast her cold gaze at Ivy. Query knew exactly where each and every freckle on Eddie's body was. She had run her fingers over each and every scar, and memorized the exact shape and placement of the birthmark he had. She now stood, carrying the ruined plant to Ivy, shoving it in the woman's face.  
  
"This is what you did to him that night. This plant will heal, and eventually, on the outside, you'll never be able to see the damage. But the plant will retain the memory of the violation. It's the same with each and every man you have ever raped. Though you might tell him he won't remember, his subconscious will. He will always remember the pain you put him through, and how you made him feel like nothing. Even if you don't rape the body, you still rape the mind. To me and Eddie, what you do isn't 'just sex.'"  
  
Thrusting the plant onto Ivy's lap, Query once more stepped into the shadows. Pam waited for a moment, expecting her to reappear at any moment, hands tightening on the potted plant. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Silence.  
  
"Query! Query, get back here! Don't you dare leave me tied up like this! I swear I will get you back!"  
  
"No you won't, Pam," her voice said, echoing around.  
  
"Yes I will!" She had barely said that when a raw steak landed in her lap between her body and the plant. The warm juices from it quickly started to soak through her clothing. From behind her, a large lioness suddenly appeared, walking around front. "Query! Get these stinking cats away from me!" she said, not noticing the hint of fear in her voice.  
  
The lioness stared at her, unblinking. It lifted its head, sniffing in Ivy's direction. Licking its chops, the lioness took a step toward Pam, reaching a paw up, claws fully extended. Pam screamed shrilly, causing the lioness to lay her ears back. Panicking, Ivy started to thrash in her seat, the motion causing the chair to scoot back, away from the beast. The flowers landed on the floor with a thud as the terracotta pot cracked. The movement seemed to energize the feline, and it crouched down, tail lashing as it prepared to pounce. As the creature lurched forward, Ivy closed her eyes, still shrieking.  
  
The expected attack never came, however. Cautiously, Ivy opened her eyes. Standing in front of her, eating the raw steak was Query. Only she was in a humanoid feline shape, with fur the same tawny gold the lioness had. As Ivy looked at her, Query put a foot on Ivy's knee, tearing a chunk from the dripping steak. Chewing it, she leaned in, her nose a fraction of an inch from Ivy's. The smell of raw meat drifted around Ivy, making her feel nauseated.  
  
"You won't tell a soul about this, and you won't try for revenge on me. Why? Because, you know I'm right. No one else, it seems, has had the guts to tell you this. Or maybe they haven't been able to make you listen. The male rogues certainly haven't said anything. They know what you would do to them if they did. Like all the other victims of rape, they're too ashamed to come forward. More so, since they're men." She placed a sharp claw against Ivy's jugular, forcing her face up again. "As a woman, and from what I know about your past, you know exactly what it's like to be in that position. To feel helpless and weak. It's why you do what you do."  
  
"They deserve it." Ivy tried to make it sound like she meant it, but the words came out halfheartedly. With more venom, she spat, "A man took my body away from me!"  
  
"No, Pam. A man didn't take your body away. He took away Pamela Lillian Isley, and created Poison Ivy. From the rape of your mind and body, you became who you are today. You took your own body away from yourself with your actions after. Hate humanity all you want. There are good people out there, even on our side. Eddie is one of them, and he deserved so much more from you.  
  
"So he made a comment about Harvey and Roxy. So what? He makes flippant comments all the time. It's how he boosts his own ego and esteem. It makes him feel intelligent to snap out a witty comment now and then. Why didn't you go after Harvey, the one you were really mad at? Would it have killed you to shrug his remark off for what it was?" Query gave the woman a disgusted look. "It probably would have. You would never relate plants to humans, but I will. The hurt that your plants feel when someone tears a flower, or leaf, is the same as the pain you give to your victims."  
  
By now, Ivy's shoulders sagged against her bonds. Her head tilted forward, and unbidden tears of anger and frustration fell from her eyes. Though she denied it in her mind, she knew in her heart what Query said was the truth. All those men she had put under her spell, she had done so in effort to prove that she was stronger than them. That she, Poison Ivy, would not be brought down by men, because men would heel at her side with a mere flick of her finger! It was how she had always distanced herself from the rest of the women. She didn't need a man in her life. To see another woman fawn over a man made her ill. To see that man return that woman's affections willingly... That pushed her over the edge.  
  
"Why? What makes you so special that he would care about you at all without manipulation?" asked Ivy.  
  
Query now kneeled in front of her, her eyes sympathetic. "Because, Pam. I treat him with respect and care, the same way you treat your plants. I treat him that way, because I really do care about him. Knowing that someone he trusted would go and harm him for a few silly words cut me to the core. Did you know that he trusted you? That he respected you? Before I knew any of this, when I had first met him and we would sit around talking, he always spoke of you with respect." She lowered her head momentarily. "Now, I'm not certain if he would respect or trust me after what I did to him. All because of you."  
  
"Why shouldn't he? If what you say is true, that is."  
  
"Because in the end, I treated him as poorly as you did. I acted like he was nothing more than a male chauvinist, collecting women to him so he can brag. He was always a gentleman to me, though. I know that he hasn't ever told anyone details us. He never will. He's never spoken about what you did to him, either. Do you know why?"  
  
Ivy shook her head.  
  
"He hasn't spoken about us, because it's no one's business but ours. He hasn't talked about you and him, because, not only is it no one's business but his and yours, he's embarrassed." Query paused. "I notice you don't speak of any of these conquests of yours. The only one you openly admit to having sex with is Harvey. We all know you don't have to douse him in pheromones to make him come to you. So why don't you talk about the others?"  
  
"They're nothing to talk about," Ivy answered, stubbornly.  
  
"Stop lying to yourself, Pam. The truth is, your actions don't sit well with you any more than being raped sits well with your victims. Talking about it just reminds you of how shamefully you acted. And those memories burn you, don't they?"  
  
She gave a barely perceptible nod. "I'm sorry, Dee. I shouldn't have been the one to tell you what happened. Especially not the way I told you. I wanted to be your friend, but... The two of you...! I'm so used to Harley and that 'relationship' of hers. I guess I was trying to make you see that Eddie isn't the guy you thought he was."  
  
"But he is." She took hold of the other woman's hands. "Pam, you're beautiful. Men would flock to you without your tricks. It's your volatility that pushes them away, and forces you to use pheromones."  
  
Ivy gave a bitter laugh. "What are you, a doctor now?"  
  
"No. You don't exactly hide your thoughts and intentions. I should've realized what you were doing to me that night. I was too immersed in my emotions to see clearly. The alcohol didn't help. You manipulated me that night, but you did it without your pheromones." Query shook her head as she stood. "I don't expect you to change, and I don't expect that you'll ever apologize to Eddie for what you did to him. Just know that I can communicate with felines in a similar way that you communicate with plants."  
  
"All those cats tonight, those were all you? Or did you take them from the zoo?"  
  
Query simply smiled. "You won't ever be certain if it's me, or a real cat. And I will warn you, that when I'm in cat form, I don't always think with human thoughts. If someone threatens those I love, I won't hold back, and I will kill. I've done it before, plenty of times. I'm going to try to get Eddie back. But if I fail, I will still protect him from afar. Should I hear that you, or anyone else has harmed him, I will not be responsible for my actions."  
  
Looking into Query's eyes, Ivy could see the woman was telling the truth. Her mood was too somber for her to be bluffing.  
  
"You're right, you know. No one has ever told me to my face what they really think of me. Oh, perhaps someone once tried. They never made it to the end of their speech."  
  
She smiled, pulling out the question mark handled dagger Eddie had given her. Flipping it idly in her hand, she walked to the back of the chair.  
  
"You know, Pam, you really aren't a bad person. You just have some serious issues that you need to deal with." Query sliced through the one piece of rope holding the entire bond together. The rope fell away. "I know what you did to him was wrong, but for his sake, and the fact that I already have more enemies than any one girl needs in this city, I'm willing to put this aside and try to be your friend again."  
  
"You won't think ill of me?"  
  
"Oh, no. You're a bitch. A total, manipulating, selfish bitch. When it comes to men, that is. And if you ever lay a hand on my boyfriend again, I'll gut you from nose to navel, and use you for fertilizer. But I'm willing to move past what happened, so long as you keep your fronds to yourself."  
  
For the first time that night, Poison Ivy smiled a genuine smile as Query offered her a hand up. Rubbing her wrists where the rope had been, Ivy tilted her head at Query. "Even Harley would never say that to me."  
  
"You've never seduce her boyfriend," retorted Query, collecting the rope.  
  
"True."  
  
In the same breath, they both added, "Who would want to?!"   
  



	7. Solve the Puzzle

  
  
{Are you finished yet?} Manchu asked, coming into the kitchen.  
  
{Almost. Don't you touch that!} Dee cried, reaching out and slapping his hand as he reached for a sandwich.  
  
{You're nuts, you know that?} he said, rubbing the back of his hand.  
  
{Certifiable,} was her reply as she continued with her sandwiches. {Are you taking me or not?}  
  
{Your chariot awaits, as soon as you're ready, m'lady,} he said, bowing deeply to her.  
  
{Smartass.}  
  
{Yes, but he is my smartass,} Chu Hua said, coming in through the courtyard door. {Mother printed this out for you, as you requested.}  
  
Dee took the sheets of paper from her, smiling as she looked them over. It was a reverse printed word search that she had spent two days working on. {They look perfect! She used the food dye ink?}  
  
{Just as you asked. Here is the pen you wanted as well.}  
  
{Thank you!} she said, hugging the woman. {Manchu, I just need to put one more sandwich together, get these on the tray, and then we can go. Would you take Tangram's things to the car? Oh, and this. And do not eat a single one!} she warned, shaking a finger at him as she handed him a box of chocolates.  
  
{I won't, I promise. I wouldn't want to ruin this for you,} he said, a note of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
{Chu, smack him for me, but only after he's through putting things in the car,} Dee said dryly.  
  
{I'll take care of him, no worries. Let me help you with that.}  
  
Together, they finished putting the last of the sandwiches together on the tray.  
  
  
  
{I'll be fine. Go.}  
  
{You certain you don't need any help carrying that?} Manchu asked setting her bag at the door.  
  
{No! I'm fine. I'll call you later, ok?} Dee insisted.  
  
{If you say so. Good luck,} he added, attempting to give her a hug. The tray of sandwiches was in his way, so he settled for a quick peck on the cheek instead, laughing when she scowled at him.  
  
At the door, she knocked by kicking the bottom of it with her foot. The door opened, and she was greeted with astonished looks. Tangram pushed his way in, dragging his bag of toys and disappeared.  
  
"I'm here. Now you go."  
  
There was no argument. In short order, the two men hauled the suitcase in, grabbed their coats and left. She headed into the kitchen, setting everything down for a moment. As she separated things out, she made a pot of coffee. When the coffee was done, she mixed in cream and a small amount of sugar. Placing a filled cup on the tray, she tucked the box of chocolates under her chin, and lifted the heavy tray. She was proud of herself that she made it all the way down the hallway to the door without spilling the coffee, or worse, dropping the tray. The door was standing open, and she looked in.  
  
Eddie had his head down on the desk, music playing from the computer, and he was staring at a framed picture. She watched as he mouthed the words to Willie Nelson's version of "Always On My Mind." Eddie had a scraggly beard, and his suit was dirty and stained. Tipped over next to his left hand was an empty scotch bottle. He made no sign of noticing her as she entered. Even when she set the tray on the desk, he didn't move. Going around the desk, she turned the music off, making a mental note to delete all country music files from his computer later. There was no way she was going to listen to the whine of country music by her own will, and a man as smart as Eddie didn't need to be killing his brain cells with the material either.  
  
Wordlessly, she pulled the tray toward him. Her nose wrinkled, as she smelled the sourness of stale alcohol on him. He finally stopped his mumbling, and looked at the tray.  
  
"I told you, I'm not hungry."  
  
"That's fine. It's why I brought these," she said, opening the box of chocolates and dumping them out. They were little chocolate chess pieces in milk and dark chocolate. "If you weren't going to eat, I figured we could play."  
  
He looked confused, staring at the pieces, and then at the sandwiches. He then noticed that the sandwiches were on wheat or dark rye, all cut and put together to form a chessboard. All 64 squares. Slowly he sat up, and turned. He took one look at Dee, and then picked up the empty bottle, shaking the last few drops onto his tongue.  
  
"You're not real. I passed out again." Eddie let his head fall forward onto the desk. His shoulders shook, and he rolled his head back and forth on the blotter. The bottle rolled from his hand, off the desk, and landed with a hollow clunk on the floor. "Oh, Edward. You need to stop drinking!" he said softly, laughing and whimpering in the same breath.  
  
Dee put her hands in his greasy hair and pulled his head up. "I'm here, you ninny. Look at you." She frowned, running her fingers through the beard. "You look horrible with this thing on your face. Think you can sit up and drink your coffee for me? Hm?" she asked, leaning his head back against her chest, stroking his forehead.  
  
"Why should I forgive you?" he said angrily, pushing her hands away, certain she was just another alcohol and hunger induced phantom. He'd had this argument with such figments a hundred times in the last month.  
  
"Because you're smarter and better than me. You don't let your emotions rule you the way mine rule me. All of this was my fault, and I admit it." She put her arms back around him, holding him against her firmly. "And it's obvious that you like being apart from me as much as I like being apart from you. Ooo-ee-sha-sha-coo-coo-yeah."  
  
"You seemed fine with it last... Week?" he asked, uncertain of when he had tried to see her.  
  
"My stubbornness made me stupid. I told you I'm not as smart as you. Li Mei knows that there're times when I need to be physically held down and made to listen. So does Manchu. He used to sit on me until I listened to what he had to say," she said with a soft laugh at the memory. "I realize you didn't know this, so I'm telling you. You did it in the plane when I didn't want to listen."  
  
Eddie reached up, putting his hands on the arm she had holding him up, wanting her arm there, yet considering pushing her away again. He kept his eyes on her, wondering what she was going to do next. It was usually at this point that the phantom would disappear. He even fancied he could smell the peach oil Dee wore this time around.  
  
Not caring how dirty and smelly he was, she bent her head and kissed him. His mouth tasted terrible, but as she kissed him, something happened. For the first time since she had met him, Edward Nigma cried, clinging to her arm so tightly, his fingers were sure to leave bruises. It didn't matter to her.  
  
"Hush. I'm here. It's ok now," she soothed, moving to stand between his knees, pressing his head to her chest.  
  
"You left me," he sobbed, sounding like a little boy. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, one hand knotting in her shirt, the other taking a hold of the long braid that ran down her back. "You left me!"  
  
"I know. And I was wrong. I came back to apologize and hope that you'll forgive me." She stroked his unkempt hair. "Eddie, I made a horrible mistake. I'm not proud of what I did, how I acted, and especially how I treated you. You deserve better from me. At the time I needed to prove that you have my trust and understanding the most, I let you down. Li Mei told me what you told her, and Benny and Trigger told me everything else. Women have mistreated you. What that bitch Pam did to you was rape. I didn't want to believe you, because why would a woman ever rape a man? Especially Pam. Men are the rapists, not the other way around. Right? At least, that's what I thought. But she conveniently 'forgot' to tell me that she used her pheromones on you. I should have known."  
  
He looked up at her, eyes red rimmed, nose running. She wiped his face and nose with the edge of her shirt, and then reached over to pick up a sandwich. Dee put it to his lips, and smiled when he took a bite, and then chewed as he hiccupped. After the first bite, he quickly devoured the small sandwich, eating ravenously. She silently fed him more, making certain that he actually chewed before swallowing. He washed it down with gulps of coffee, and as he ate, his tears subsided.  
  
"That's better," cooed Dee, petting his face. "Eddie, what I did made me look like those others. That was wrong. I'd be lying if I said that I had only just realized that. I knew it a while ago, but I refused to listen to myself. That was stupid. You have a past. I knew that before I met you, and I shouldn't keep letting it get in the way. I need to accept it, because it's part of you."  
  
Though he was still chewing on the last sandwich she had put in his mouth, she now pulled him up. She didn't need to tighten her hold on his hand, for he refused to let go of her. Down the hall, she led him, and into their bedroom. He started to panic when she pulled her hand free, walking into the bathroom without him. Hurriedly, he followed. Dee turned the shower on, and then turned to face him.  
  
"I want you to get yourself cleaned up, understand?"  
  
Eddie nodded, not wanting to speak, lest it break the spell. Hallucination or not, he wanted this to continue.  
  
"Good. Now let's get you out of those clothes. I'll leave something for you on the door," she said, pulling his jacket off, and unbuttoning his shirt. "I don't suppose any amount of dry cleaning will save this suit." She paused, tossing the clothing he handed her over her arm. She wanted to wince at the sight of how his ribs were clearly visible. He'd always been a thin man, but now he was too thin. "Only when you have showered, shaved, and brushed your teeth do I want to see you again."  
  
Watching her close the door, he finished what was in his mouth, and then climbed into the shower. Repeatedly, he washed himself, dissolving the grime and odor from his body. He still wasn't certain if Dee was actually there. He lost count of all the times in the past few weeks he had hallucinated that she was there, urging him to eat and stop drinking. All those times he had ignored the phantoms. This time, she had kissed him. She hadn't done that before in his visions, and this apparition felt solid.  
  
While she waited for him to get cleaned up, Dee changed out of her now dirty shirt, and into a fresh one. After washing her hands in the kitchen, she then took a look around the warehouse. Everything was new and clean. There was a new couch that was much nicer than the previous one. The new carpet begged to be walked on barefoot, so she obliged it. She grinned as it tickled her feet as she shuffled through the thick pile, laughing aloud at the sight of Tangram wiggling around on the carpet next to the couch.  
  
"Daddy did a good job, didn't he?" she said, giving him a quick scratch before continuing her tour.  
  
It was when she returned to the bedroom that she actually took stock of the changes there. On just about every surface sat a plethora of candles, all sitting in holders that she recognized from Chinatown. There were new dressers, and when she opened them, she found all the clothing neatly folded and put away. Only her dresser was almost empty. What her dresser contained was items that she had left behind in the second suitcase. She sighed, saddened by the nice clothing she had lost. That was forgotten quickly when she took in the new bed. It had been there that night he had brought her home from the Iceberg, but she had been in the wrong frame of mind to notice the changes he had made.  
  
"Oh!" she gasped, walking over to it. She ran a hand over the smoothly polished, cool wood of the posters. Taking a seat near the top, she lost herself as she traced the scrollwork on the headboard with the tip of a finger.  
  
Edward exited the bathroom, tucking in the tails of his clean shirt into clean slacks. As he buttoned his cuffs he stared at Dee who remained in her place on the bed. His mind now cleared, refreshed from the food and drink she had given him, he saw that she was indeed there. On top of his dresser was a little box, which he now picked up, removing the repaired necklace from it.  
  
While he had showered, he thought things over. She was offering the olive branch this time, taking all the blame. He knew it wasn't all her fault. It took two to tango, as the saying went. The moment Trigger had phoned him at the Iceberg, he should have told Dee about it. He had panicked, however, and listened to Trigger. The blame couldn't be shifted to Trigger, because Eddie knew that Dee appreciated the truth, and it was ultimately his decision not to tell her what was going on.  
  
Running his tongue over his freshly brushed teeth, he walked over to her. Sitting behind her, he said nothing as he wrapped his arms around her. She turned her head, smiling at him.  
  
"You look handsome," she said, picking a bit of toilet paper from where he had covered a nick.  
  
_No words. You're better off without words right now,_ he told himself, cautiously returning her smile.  
  
With care he fastened the necklace around her neck, touching the silver question mark as it floated in the hollow of her throat, where it belonged. She smiled, and touched the charm as well, as if to say she accepted it. Then he kissed her, tentatively at first. Then again. She melted into his arms, and he tipped her back onto the bed. Now he tasted good, sweet, and she took advantage of it. A month was far too long for her to go without kissing him! Right then, she vowed never to go that long without him again. Not if she could help it.  
  
"Eddie? Eddie, you haven't said anything to me for too long. Say something?" she begged.  
  
"You punched Pam that night. Twice. Good for you. She deserved it," he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. "That's behind us now. We're ok."  
  
"You'd take me back this quickly? After what I've done?"  
  
His face lit up as he teasingly echoed her earlier words. "I'm smarter and better than you. Ooo-ee-sha-sha-coo-coo-yeah."  
  
She laughed, fingers locking in his wet hair, and pulled him down for another kiss. "Ooo-ee-sha-sha-coo-coo-yeah," she replied. "Would you do one more thing for me?"  
  
"Anything, Kitten. Just so long as you don't leave me again."  
  
"I'm not going to leave, so long as you let me stay," she smiled, tracing his lips. With another kiss, she added, "Make me feel beautiful."  
  
The grin on his face grew. Taking that as a yes, she began unbuttoning the shirt he had just put on.  
  
"You made me get dressed, just so you could undress me?" he asked.  
  
"I was going to wait, but we're here now, aren't we?" she asked, kissing his jaw. She quickly had him down to his boxers, and she knelt on the bed in front of him. "By the way, you're going to need this."  
  
He looked confused as she handed him a pen. It all became clear as she pulled her shirt off. Across her torso, right under her breasts, was a word search. She gave him a wink as she wiggled out of her pants, and displayed her thighs to him. Down each was part of the word list. He looked the words over, reading them as he licked his lips. "Betrayal", "indiscretion", "harlot", "tiger", "riddles", "onus", and "flowers" were just some of the words on the list.  
  
"I don't understand," he said as she draped her legs around his waist so that he could better work on the puzzle.  
  
"Solve the puzzle, and you will, silly man," she purred, lying back in the pillows.  
  
Eddie had no idea what she was up to. All he knew was that he had never been this excited about the idea of solving a puzzle, or foreplay in his entire life. Here was a woman that he found beautiful, and she was laying on the bed in front of him, wearing nothing but lace underwear and a word search. This was one of the things he loved about her: Her ability to be sensual and seductive, without being trashy and cheap. He found himself torn between doing the puzzle, and fulfilling her original request. But this was all part of it, wasn't it?  
  
"Go slow," she giggled as he hurried to circle a word, remembering to cross it off the list on her left thigh. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
The felt tip made her break out into goosebumps as it trailed across her skin. Throughout it all, she laughed and smiled like never before, teasing Eddie as he worked. The look of intense concentration on his face amused her. His hands didn't want to remain steady, but he finally finished, slowly drawing a line through the last word.  
  
"There." He capped the pen, and then leaned over to kiss her.  
  
"You're not done yet, puzzle boy. There's one more thing for you to solve."  
  
Frowning, he looked down at the puzzle. He had found all the words she had listed. He looked at her thighs, and turned her over. Just in case, of course. Turning her back over, he concentrated on the puzzle again.  
  
_The leftover letters, fool!_  
  
Ah! That's where her final puzzle had to be. She propped herself up on her elbows as she watched him print out each letter on her belly. When he finished, he looked the letters over.  
  
"'No matter what'?" he asked.  
  
Dee nodded, smiling as she sat up, wrapping her legs securely around his hips. "No matter what. No matter how badly we fight. Even when it's my fault because I won't listen to you. Or if you screw up. I'll still love you through it all." Laughing quietly she wiped his cheek dry. "Don't cry again, Tiger. Once was enough today, and I just might cry with you this time."  
  
Embarrassed, he tried to turn his head. She hugged his head to her chest, nuzzling the top of his head.  
  
"Crying isn't a bad thing, Eddie. It's a great man who can express that kind of emotion. It's a boon, not a failing. You're not weak because you shed tears. You'll always be strong to me, no matter what. Always be my hero."  
  
He laughed now, raising his head. "I'm supposed to be the one with the lines, not you. I was the one who was supposed to throw the whole romantic welcome home for you."  
  
"Well, that wasn't exactly romantic, was it? I can go back to Jiaoshu's, and you can come get me if you like," she teased, acting as if she were going to get up.  
  
"No, no, no, no!" He pinned her down to the bed with his body. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. Not for a good, long while."  
  
"Is that a promise, or a threat?"  
  
"That's a promise. One I intend to keep."   
  



	8. Guys Dig the Car

  
  
"You need another shower," Dee giggled as she poked another sandwich into his mouth.  
  
"Mm. You need one too," he replied through the mouthful.  
  
They lay in bed together now, Dee resting against his chest as she fed him more of the sandwiches. He gladly ate them, realizing how hungry he was. Both had imprints of the word search and list all over. Dee, however, was being terrible, using the pen to draw smilie faces and question marks on his bare chest. She had even started a game of hangman on his arm. As it was food color-based, he indulged her.  
  
As he ate, he ran a finger along the fine silver chain of the necklace around her neck. He teased her, saying that she was now a collared and kept cat. To his surprise, she agreed, purring happily.  
  
Dee put the sandwiches aside and lay on top of him. For a long moment, she simply stared at him, smiling. Then she kissed his chin, and put her head down on his shoulder.  
  
"You've lost too much weight. You're not as comfy as before."  
  
He grunted, trying to reach for another sandwich.  
  
She pushed his hand to the bed and nipped his shoulder.  
  
He swatted her bottom, scolding her for the nip.  
  
She laughed.  
  
He joined her.  
  
She licked his jaw with the tip of her tongue, running it to his earlobe. At the very corner of his jaw, she placed a nibbly kiss.  
  
"But I'm hungry," he managed, as his body reacted.  
  
"So am I," she said in a throaty purr.  
  
  
  
He didn't think he had ever been so pleasantly exhausted in his life. Dee had fallen asleep an hour earlier, and as much as he wanted to sleep too, he fought it, wanting instead to touch her and watch her sleep. She had come to him and apologized for what he felt she would never forgive him for. When he tried to make his own apology, she had quieted him, telling him he didn't need to say anything.  
  
When she had gotten up to retrieve the sandwiches after hearing his stomach growl, he had taken out the package that had arrived the day before he picked her up at the Iceberg Lounge. When she returned to bed, he handed her the package as she handed him a sandwich. Her curious smile made him happy long before she opened the paper wrapped parcel to find the promised items from Madame Hsia. Dee generously rewarded him for his kindness in new ways. Her inventiveness in seduction brought out his own imagination. Though she worked her wiles on him in bed, her choice of games more than sex thrilled him far more than he could have anticipated.  
  
In his arms she stirred, sitting up. The sheet slipped off her nude body, washing her in moonlight as she carefully moved his arm and tiptoed out of bed. He didn't make any noise as he watched her close the bathroom door behind her. A minute later she returned, pausing in the middle of the room to stretch. With a visible jolt, she hurried back to bed, skin pebbled with goosebumps. He lifted the covers higher for her to crawl under.  
  
"Mm. I didn't mean to wake you," she said softly, pulling his arms around her as he spooned her.  
  
"I was already awake."  
  
"Then you should sleep," she said, wiggling a little further into his arms as she tucked his left hand between her breasts, shivering slightly at his cool fingers. "You need the rest."  
  
"I know. I just don't want to go to sleep to find that I really did pass out and dream this."  
  
Dee laughed, turning her face to his. "You're funny, Tiger. Don't be silly. Of course I'll be here. Now give me a kiss and close your eyes."  
  
He did as she asked, finding that it was easier than he thought to drift off to sleep. So long as he held her, he was comforted. He had become dependant on her, and he didn't mind one bit. Dee stayed awake until she heard his even breathing, and felt his chest rise and fall rhythmically against her back. Reaching back, she stroked his thigh.  
  
"That's my tiger," she whispered, feeling his warm breath brush across the top of her head.  
  
  
  
No one saw or heard from the two for a week. When they finally emerged from the warehouse, both looked rested and happy. Though they spent a lot of time together during that week, Edward still found some time to scan the papers for anything that could possibly bring in more money. The cost of refurbishing the hideout had used up most of his cash, and he had spent a great deal of money in reordering everything from Kittlemeier's.  
  
Over that time, he forced Dee to sit down and hear about his past history with women. He wasn't telling her to make her jealous, but so that she understood his side in case someone among his group opened their mouth as they were wont to do. Creating tension in his relationship would be a perfect pastime for his friends. He told her about larks where he would flirt with a girl, never meaning anything about it. Most of the time he had done it simply out of boredom, or because he had a little too much to drink and was feeling melancholy and lonely.  
  
She struggled at first, unwilling to listen to the few details he shared, telling him she didn't want to know. He held her down, once more silently letting her know that he was physically stronger than her, and when he wanted her to listen, she would do so. After that she calmed down, and sat patiently and listened to him. While some of his words made her angry, she kept in mind that he was with her, not with any of the other girls he talked about.  
  
No matter what, she felt guilty for what she had done to him, and how she had treated him. Li Mei had been right in saying that she had dishonored herself. She was doing her best to mend her honor, and hearing him out was only the start. He appreciated her efforts, but reminded her that he was partially to blame as well. That only started them bickering about who had more blame, him or her? She claimed she was more to blame, he claimed he was. Realizing they were getting on the same merry-go-round, he pinned her with a cool, yet amused stare and agreed that she was more in the wrong. She tried to smack him across the arm. He caught her hand, and pulled her to him, ending the argument with a kiss.  
  
Dee came home one day after grocery shopping, begging Eddie to come with her to look at a car she had found. As they needed to make a pick up at Kittlemeier's, he went, and was surprised at what had her so excited. He had expected something small and sporty. Instead, he was confronted with a black 1938 Chevy panel van, also known as a Black Mariah. Faintly, on the matte black paint, the outlines from the original markings labeling it as a coroner's van could be seen.  
  
"You really want this?" he asked, uncertain. The idea was rather creepy, but very much in keeping with her personality.  
  
"Yes! Please, Eddie? Trigger said he has a friend who could customize it for me!"  
  
"Customize? How much is that going to cost?"  
  
"It doesn't matter! I can use some of the money I've got saved away for that, and if I take my shares of some of the next jobs, I can pay the rest off. He said it would take a while to do everything to it that I wanted."  
  
"You've already talked to him about it?"  
  
She nodded, looking up at him, eyes sparkling. "Please Eddie? It runs! I drove it the other day! All I'm asking is that you buy the car, I'll pay for everything else, I swear!"  
  
The body was solid, and that was the important part. He had no idea what she had in mind as far as customization went. It amused him that she had even thought so far as to make a list of what she wanted. He circled the car once more.  
  
"You certain this is what you want? You can have any new car you want, you know."  
  
"I know. But I like this one. Pleeeease?!"  
  
"You'll pay for all the work on it?"  
  
"Eddie! Yes or no!"  
  
He smirked. He loved stringing her along to the point that she got as worked up as she was now. And it was really her own money; she didn't have to do more than ask him for the cash he kept in his safe for her. The safe she had the combination to. Yet she was asking his permission, as her boyfriend.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dee whooped with joy, leaping into his arms and kissing him. She had her own car now, and though she wouldn't get to drive it for quite a while, it was going to be hers! Eddie counted out the seven hundred that he had bargained the owner down to, especially after pointing out all the repairs that would need to be made on the car. A quick phone call, and it was arranged that Trigger's mechanic friend would pick the car up and take it to his shop.  
  
"Now we just need to find something worth stealing that will bring in money," he said as they drove back home.  
  
"And I know just the thing," she replied, pointing to an armored car that was passing through the intersection in front of them.  
  
Edward smiled. "Yes. This could work out very well."   
  



End file.
